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Governor appoints Bill Dyehouse to second-district magistrate seat

Former magistrate and Crab Orchard mayor will be sworn in Friday morning

July 26, 2012|By Ben Kleppinger | ben@theinteriorjournal.com

STANFORD — Two days after Lincoln County magistrates voted to recommend that deceased Magistrate Dexter Todd's seat be filled by his widow, Brenda Todd, Gov. Steve Beshear has appointed fiscal court veteran Bill Dyehouse instead.

Judge-Executive Jim Adams said he received the official executive order from Beshear's office via fax shortly after noon Thursday.

Dyehouse, who previously served as second-district magistrate for decades and has also been mayor of Crab Orchard, will be sworn in at the circuit clerk's office 9:30 a.m. Friday.

"I'm very glad and very excited about being chosen by the governor to fill out the term of magistrate in the second district. I'm also honored to fill out the term of my friend, Dexter Todd," Dyehouse said in a phone interview Thursday afternoon. "It was a loss to our county and to our community when he passed away."

Adams said he thinks it's possible Beshear went with Dyehouse, a Democrat, instead of Brenda Todd, a Republican, because of Dyehouse's experience in the position.

It's also possible the governor's choice was influenced by the fact that Democrats chose Dyehouse to run for the position in the fall, but Republicans did not choose Brenda Todd, Adams said.

Republicans nominated Crab Orchard resident Lonnie Pruitt for the seat.

Republican Magistrates David Faulkner and Joe Stanley voted Tuesday to recommend Brenda Todd to the governor's office, citing the tradition of appointing family members to fill out the terms of deceased magistrates.

Democratic Magistrate Johnnie Padgett voted no on the motion. Adams, a Democrat who has said he wishes to remain completely neutral on the issue, said he would inform the governor's office of the vote but "that's as far as I'm going to go."

Faulkner said Thursday he thinks highly of Dyehouse, but not of the move by Beshear.

"Bill Dyehouse has been a friend of mine for 50 years," he said. "I think a great deal of Bill, but I think it was a political mistake on the part of the Democratic Party to make that move."

Faulkner said Dyehouse is "a seasoned veteran of the magistrate position" and will be a great person to work with.

"They have basically … made an incumbent of somebody that's running in November and I don't think that's fair," he said.

Dyehouse said he already "knows the ropes" and is ready to start working for his constituents right away. The current magistrates have done "a right good job" so far and he expects to work well with them, he said.

Dyehouse said he's honored the governor appointed him from the pool of excellent candidates, and he's also honored local Democrats selected him to run for the seat in the fall.

"Between now and then, I'm going to be working really hard for the people of District Two," he said.

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